The value of a friend
by Lusse Eldalion
Summary: With a last look at the castle where his father and his friends should be looking for him, he said: "I'll find him and we will return. This is a promise" And then the prince looked away and began to walk toward a place that he might never return…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: the Lord of the Rings is not mine.**

**Sorry for the mistakes…I'm not English!**

**Chapter one**

Legolas leaned against the tree's trunk.

"_I'M GOING! AND THAT'S FINAL!"_

The discussion he had with his father just a few moments ago came to his mind.

_"Legolas, you cannot go. Can't you see it's a trap?" Thranduil said._

"_And what am I supposed to do? Stay sitting idly knowing that he can be alive but still doing nothing to save him ?" the prince was furious._

"_It's only been three days since it happened. You're not recovered yet."_

"_And I never will if I do not go!" Everyone could see that the prince's eyes were filled with tears._

"_Ion-nin, listen, I know it's hard, I know what you're going through and-"_

"_NO, YOU DO HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT I HAVE LIVED THESE DAYS. IF YOU KNEW YOU WOULD LET ME GO!" all was silent. "Damn it, ada. You don't understand." he looked at his father. "You can't understand "he whispered. Then, Legolas turned and walked towards the door. Elladan grabbed his arm._

_"No, Elladan, let me go" he looked into his eyes. "Please" he added._

_"Where are you going?" asked the twin._

_"To my room"_

_"Legolas ..."_

_"Let me go" After some seconds, he let him go._

Legolas closed his eyes. The smell of blood seemed to follow him wherever he went. Two tears swept his cheeks.

_The prince stumbled. Again. He was hurt and tired. They were outnumber by the orcs, and only a few elves were still fighting. The rest of his patrol was badly hurt or dead. He fell near a corps. He looked at it. And he acknowledged it. He was Anenfel, one of his best friends. He knew him since their childhood. _

_'It's not fair' Legolas thought, as his eyes filled with tears._

The prince opened his eyes. The determination shone on them. He clenched the letter that was in his hand. He would carry out the decision that he had made long ago. With a last look at the castle where his father and his friends should be looking for him, he said:

"I'll find him and we will return. This is a promise"

And then he looked away and began to walk toward a place that he might never return…

**Three days before… **

"_I'm tired, I'm hungry, I want to go home_...Oh Valar, I couldn't stand it more! I'll ask Voronda what kind of warriors he has trained." The prince teased.

"Hey! It's not my fault that a princeling like you didn't know how to guide us!" laughed Anenfel.

"What?!" Legolas opened his eyes and feigned hurt pride "I'm your prince and I can do with you whatever I want, do you understand?"

"Yes, of course your highness…" the two elves looked at each other for a moment and then they started to laugh. Then, Numenya, their friend, arrived.

"Hey, you two! I think you should begin to prepare yourselves or we will never arrive to the palace." said him.

"Of course, your highness!" replied Anenfel and Legolas together. Numenya shook his head, but smiled.

"You're crazy…"

"Yes, your highness, we are crazy, your highness"

"Oh Valar. Well, really, Legolas, you should order everybody start moving "

"You want to go home, true? Me too" the prince said "We are going home! Take down the tents!" he shouted.

The camp was took down in less than an hour. All the elves mounted their horses and waited for the order of their commander.

"Let's go!" the prince, Anenfel and Numenya led the march.

They rode cheerfully for an hour. And then, all of sudden, they noticed them.

"ORCS!" shouted the prince.

"LEGOLAS!" shouted Anenfel, while his friend fell from his horse, that had received an arrow in the chest.

"Protect the prince! Protect the prince!" said Numenya, dismounting from his horse, drawing his bow and standing in front Legolas. Anenfel ran and kneeled beside the prince.

"I'm alright, I'm alright. Find the archer." said Legolas.

"Numenya is looking for him. Be quiet and let me see if you're wounded"

Before he could do nothing, a wave of orcs came out from the trees.

"What?!..."Anenfel stood up.

Legolas stared for a second and then he shouted.

"KNIVES!" it was too near for the bows "DRAW OUT YOUR KNIVES!"

Anenfel helped his friend to stand up and a second later they were surrounded by the orcs. All was confusion. Shouts and the sound of the metal crashing was the only thing that Legolas could heard. With a deft move, he dodged the enemy's sword and then killed him. He looked around. They were outnumbered by the orcs. There was little hope for the elves. And the orcs knew it.

'No. No way', thought Legolas, clenching his teeth. Then, he took up the fight.

…..

"I'm more than eager of seeing how Legolas fares. It has been too long since we saw him." Elrohir commented.

Thranduil had invited them to go to his palace as a surprise for the young prince.

"You're right, brother. I'm sorry that Estel could not come." Elladan said.

"Yes, it's true."

"Guys, we will arrive in a few hours" said Elrond.

"We know it, ada. Why do you tell it to us?"

"I hope you will know how to behave-"

"No, please! Not again, ada. Every time we come to Mikwood you tell us the same 'you must behave because Thranduil has a lot of thing to do and he doesn't need two elflings who-'

"Alright, alright" Elrond chuckled "However I will…wait…what's that?"

The Lord turned his head as looking for something.

"What do you mean?" the twins were puzzled. Before their father could answer, they sensed it.

"It's the smell of death…"Elladan whispered.

"Be careful" said Elrond to the warriors who accompanied them. "Something has happened here."

"Oh Valar, ada. Look there" Elrohir pointed at a small clearing in front of them. They rode there at and they were horrified with the sight. The ground was covered by elves' corps. It was a Mirkwood patrol. One of the twins crouched and looked at a body.

"Ada, I think that was Legolas' patrol" he said.

"What?! How do you know?" the Lord approached his son.

"I know him. He is…he was Anenfel, one of the friends of Legolas. He was on his patrol" Elrohir frowned, worried.

"Well, we have to look for survivors. We will find him" he assured, although he wanted to be so sure as he sounded.

Everyone started looking for. Each time Elladan turned a body, the twin's hearts beat faster, afraid of what he might find.

'He can be still alive, he can be still alive…we have not found the body, not yet, so he can be alive" was Elladan thinking "oh… he is going to have the lecture of his life for worrying me so" Suddenly, he saw a golden mane that could only belong to one elf. He forgot how to breath for an instant.

"Sweet Valar, allow him to be alive, please, allow him to be alive" he started to walk toward the fallen elf. He kneeled beside him. He was Legolas, with no doubt. He reached the prince's neck with his shaking hand, trying to find his pulse. Elladan closed his eyes. Nothing.

'Come on, princeling, come on…' suddenly, the twin opened his eyes. He had felt something. Again. It was weak and slow, but it was a pulse.

'Great, Legolas. You made it.' Elladan smiled "HERE, HE IS HERE!" Elrond turned his head and saw his son waving a hand. He ran toward him.

"How is he?" the Lord asked.

"Alive" Elladan looked at his father. The Lord frowned, then he kneeled beside the prince.

….

"Lord Elrond is here, your highness." a warrior said

"Very well. Let's receive them" answered Thranduil.

He went to the main door and smiled when he saw the horses running toward the palace.

'They are running fast. Too fast. What has happened?' Then he noticed that Elrond was not riding alone. A blond elf was in front of him.

'Oh no.' he thought. His suspicion was confirmed when Elrond crossed the tree line that surrounded the castle with Legolas.

"Thranduil, I need help. There are many elves injured." said the Lord. Thranduil stared at him for a moment and then he reacted.

"Yes…yes, of course…call the healers!" he shouted.

"Help me with him" said Elrond, referring to Legolas.

"What has happened?" asked the king while he held his son. He looked at him. The prince was very pale.

"I don't know. We found them in a clearing. I think they held a battle against orcs. And they lost it."

"How many have fallen?"

"More people dead than injured."

"Oh Valar…"whispered Thranduil. Elrond approached him.

"But now" he said "we must attend them."

"Right, but… how is Legolas?"

"Better than I expected… Thranduil, I don't know what happened in that clearing, but it was not pleasant. I mean… don't worry if you find Legolas changed when he wakes up. My son found one of his friends dead. I think his name was Anenfel-"

"Anenfel?!" the king opened his eyes very wide "it cannot be possible. Oh, my dear son. He had been his friend since they were elflings!"

"I know. Elladan told it to me too. But listen. It will not be easy for any of the survivors. But it will be worse for your son. He was the commander. And a commander always feels responsible for what happens to his patrol." Elrond's eyes were full of worry. The other elf nodded.

"I understand." Then, they entered into the palace to bring some order to the chaos that had broken out and to put the prince in the healers' hands.

…

**And?... What do you think? Feel free to tell me my grammar/spelling mistakes, I will correct them. Reviews are very welcome. Flamers are not. Thank you for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the mistakes….I'm not English**

**Thank you for the review, AmazingWriter123**

**Chapter 2**

"Please, Anenfel, don't go…"

"I'm sorry, my prince, but my time in the Middle-Earth has run out. Yours has not, fortunately."

"I have never given you an order, but now I do. Do not go. I'm your prince. You must obey me."

"You know I would obey you if I could. We will meet again someday." Anenfel smiled "Bye, my prince. Thank you for your friendship" Anenfel's figure started to fade.

"Wait" said Legolas "you cannot leave me here, alone."

"Bye…" Legolas watched how the one that had been one of his best friends disappeared. He lowered his head and let two tears slide down his cheeks.

….

"I want to catch the ones who did this" said Thranduil. Elrond looked at him.

"We will."

"Yes, I know we will, but I want to have them _now_." The Lord looked around him. They were in the healing ward. Almost all the beds were occupied by injured elves. Some of them would recover with time, but others might never open their eyes again.

"Me too." Said Elrond.

Meanwhile, Elladan and Elrohir were in Legolas' room.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" asked Elrohir to his twin.

"I've no idea" He looked worried.

"Are you worried about his physical state?"

"I'm not. I'm worried about how he will feel and how hard it will be" Elladan looked at his brother. After some seconds of silence, their friend moved. Both Elladan and Elrohir stood up.

"No…"whispered Legolas in dreams.

"Call ada" said Elrohir. Elladan nodded and left the room as the other elf approached the bed.

"Shh…Legolas…it's alright" the prince started to breath faster and heavier.

"Don't do it…Anenfel…no!" suddenly, Legolas opened his eyes and tried to stand up. Elrohir stopped him.

"No, not yet, princeling" the prince looked at Elrohir. Confusion filled his eyes.

"What…what are you doing here?..."asked Legolas, as the twin pushed him back.

"We arrived to the palace yesterday" explained Elrohir.

"But…" something was amiss and Legolas knew it. Then, he remembered "Anenfel… Numenya… the orcs!" he tried to stand up again and again he was stopped by the twin.

"No…Elrohir…I must…" they struggled.

"You can't stand up…" Elrohir won and Legolas fell against the bed, frowning. And that's how Thranduil found them when he entered the room. The twin looked at the king and went out.

"Ion-nin…" Thranduil said.

"Hi, ada" answered the prince. They stared to one another for some seconds before the king ran and hugged his son.

"Oh Legolas, I thought I had lost you when I saw Elrond's face at his arrival to the palace. I'm so happy you're alive"

"Ada, please, tell me what happened. Is Anenfel…dead?" Thranduil could see Legolas' eyes were filled with tears.

"Legolas…I…" The prince understood, closed his eyes and bit his lower lip.

"And Numenya?" he asked. Thranduil frowned.

"He is not among the injured neither."

"Oh Valar…both of them…" Legolas hid his head in his hands. The king hugged his son again. Legolas sobbed.

"How many…how many survived?" he managed to say.

"Twenty-five." The news could not be worse for Legolas. 'As if it were not hard enough' Thranduil thought. Twenty-five survivors of seventy elves that formed the patrol.

"And it's my entire fault…" Legolas whispered. Thranduil was waiting the phrase.

"Ion-nin, look at me" he said.

"No, ada. Don't try to dissuade me. I know it was my fault."

"But you couldn't know that the orcs were there! Listen, had you known, would you have guided the patrol there?"

"Of course not. You know it. But had I had been more alert, I would have sensed them before."

"Legolas, that patrol was formed by seventy elves. Are you saying that you were the only one who could sense them?

"But-"

"No "but", ion-nin. You cannot blame yourself for a thing that you couldn't control"

"I swear I'll kill those orcs. I'll find them and I will make them suffer for what they have done" Legolas whispered, so softly that Thranduil almost didn't hear it. The tone in his son's voice made the king shiver.

He grabbed Legolas by the arms and said:

"Legolas, you must promise me that you will not do anything stupid."

"I promise you that I won't do anything without a good reason. And that's all you'll get from me." Thranduil looked at his son again. After some seconds of silence, the king gave up.

"Alright. I only hope that your 'good reasons' will make sense and will not be cheap excuses." He raised an eyebrow, as he always did when he wanted to warn his son.

"No, ada, they will not."

"Very well. Now rest." The king left the room. Legolas stared at the door for some minutes before he was slowly dragged into the world of dreams that surely would turn in nightmares, with orcs as main characters.

…..

Thranduil leaned against the door.

"How is he?" Elrond asked.

"First he reacted as we had expected, but then…"

"Then…"

"Elrond, he is going to do something. Something incredibly stupid."

**Two days later…**

The prince woke with a start. Again.

"Are you alright?" asked Elladan, who was sitting next to the bed.

"I would be better if I was allowed to see my injured fellows."

"They are fine. I promise."

"They are under my responsibility. I want to see them." Legolas looked at Elladan, who smiled and said:

"Well, I'll ask ada." This time was the prince who smiled.

"Thank you." He saw how Elladan closed the door behind him and he did the same with his eyes. When he opened them again, he could see his figure reflected in the mirror. But his body was not the only one that he saw. A man was climbing through the balcony and entering the prince's room with a knife in his hand.

'I don't know what he wants, but it's nothing good' Legolas thought. He moved, feigning that he was sleeping and grabbed the knife that was under his pillow. He always slept with some kind of weapon near. Experience had taught him to be cautious. Fortunately, the man couldn't see him, as the mirror was not in the correct angle. The prince waited until the stranger was near to his bed and then, at the last moment, he launched a stab addressed to the man's shoulder. It would had injured the stranger, but, maybe because Legolas was weak, or because the man was really fast, or for both the reasons together, he stopped the attack and grabbed the prince's arm, twisting it. With the other arm, after throwing his knife to the floor, he covered Legolas' mouth and nose, preventing him from breathing.

"Come on, prince, throw the knife" he twisted the arm a little more. Legolas could do nothing but what he was told. "That's it. Now, be quiet, princeling. We don't want to be discovered, do we? I'm going to retire my hand and you're going to be quiet. If you move, if you shout, that knife…" he caught the weapon from the floor "…will pierce your beautiful neck and it would be a pity. Do we agree?" The prince nodded slowly.

"I see." He retired the hand as he had said. "We have very little time. I'm going to give you a letter from my master. You'll read it alone, you'll not tell anyone what I have told you or what you will read in the letter-"

"Or what?" asked Legolas. The man smiled.

"Read it and you'll understand why you can't do anything… you know… I would be delighted to kill you right now." A knife was pressed against his neck. The prince looked defiant. "But…my master wants you alive." The man smiled. "Well, princeling, I must go. Remember, no one has to know what has just happened here. We will meet again."

He jumped from the window to a big tree and disappeared. The prince clenched his teeth as he opened the letter.

"My dear prince" he read "You may be asking who I am. I'm not going to tell it to you. I will just say that I was the one who planned the attack against your patrol. And I enjoyed killing your elves." Legolas' heart was full of hate. "I did it just for a reason: I want to know where is the secret corridor that leads into the palace. I have been informed that only the king knows the localization of it. You will ask him without letting him know your purpose, you will get the information I want and then we will meet in the place I marked in the map below. You have a week. By the way…" When Legolas read the last sentence, he got dizzy for a moment "Numenya, your dear friend, is alive and he is with me. Do you want to save him? Follow my orders"

…

**Well, well, it seems that our dear prince is in a problem. Do you think he will save Numenya and betray Mirkwood? **

**By the way, here in Spain, we have just started summer holidays and that means that I'm not going to be able to write more chapters until September. However, I promise that, if I find a moment and if you let me know that you like the story with reviews, I'll write one or two chapters more. Happy holidays! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the review Jasperlittlesister, Guest and mjg43!**

**Sorry for the mistakes…I'm not English!**

**Chapter three**

"Legolas, are you sure you're alright?" asked Elladan. He had noticed that his friend was…absent. He had been with him while the prince was talking to his injured fellows, for Elrond had allowed him to get up. The twin had thought that his friend would be really happy, but he was not.

"Yes…" he answered, not very sure of what he was answering. 'Numenya is alive. How can I know that it's true and it's not a trap?' he was thinking 'I cannot. Oh Valar, is he alive? What am I going to do?'

"Legolas!" said Elladan for the third time.

"Yes…what?" Legolas realized that the twin had called him several times.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on? Nothing is going on."

"Yes, sure. Are you telling me what's worrying you or have I got to force you to?" The twin grabbed his friend by the arm which moments ago had been twisted by the man. Legolas could not suppress a grim of pain.

"What?..."said the twin as he rolled the sleeve and looked to the arm, in which was beginning to appear clear signs of a bruise. "Nothing is going on? You hadn't this yesterday, what has happened? And please, don't tell me that you have fallen off your bed."

"Elladan, I don't know what you're talking about!" The prince said, going away from Elladan.

"Yes, you know exactly what I am talking about, and you're going to answer my question _right now_" The twin crossed his arms. Legolas looked at him and said:

"I fell off my bed" he turned around and started to walk towards his room. Elladan stayed there for a moment with his mouth open.

"You're….you're…infuriating!" he shouted

"I know, I know" the prince said, as he turned a corner.

"Damn it" said Elladan, going the other direction.

Legolas checked that there was nobody in the corridor before letting collapse the façade he had been holding before Elladan and his friends. He leaned against the wall and looked at his hands. He was trembling. He closed them in a finch until his knuckles turned white and his nails began to dug painfully into his palms. He took a deep breath.

"Legolas, are you alright?" he suddenly heard. He looked by his side and found Anenfel's father. Just what he needed.

"Yes…I'm fine" he managed to say.

"You don't look…fine. Wait here, I'm going to look for someone."

"No!" the prince grabbed the other elf "I'm fine, really. I only need a second. Eridion, can I talk to you?" he whispered.

"You know there is no need to"

"Yes, but….well I….I hope you can forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, Legolas."

"Your only son died and it was my fault. I think there is _a lot_ to forgive"

"My prince, I think that's a stupid thought. My son was killed by an orc, not by you. When he made the decision to become a warrior, he knew what could happen. As my wife and I did. He always said that, if he died someday, he wanted to die fighting, defending Mirkwood and beside his friends. And so has been."

Legolas heard the words like if they were coming from a lot of miles far away. 'It seems that I'm not so fine' he thought. And then, all went black.

"Legolas!" shouted Eridion, as he caught the prince. Elrohir, who was looking for the prince, heard the shout and ran toward the corridor in which he had heard the voice. He saw his friend at the floor with another elf beside him.

"What happened?" he asked, as he kneeled next to his friend.

"I don't know. We were talking and, suddenly, he passed out."

"Call my father. Tell him we are at Legolas' room." Elrohir lifted his unconscious friend.

….

"_You've a week…a week…or your friend will be dead."_

"_Who are you?!"_

"_Hurry up, my prince."_

The prince woke with a sudden start. He looked around. He was in his room.

'Numenya' he thought, as he stood up. He grabbed his tunic and looked for the letter. It was not there.

"Are you looking for this?" he suddenly heard. In front of him, appeared his father, and he had the letter in his hand.

"Yes, I was." He was not sure if the king had already read it. The room went into a silence. 'Have you read it?' the prince wanted to ask.

"I have." said Thranduil, reading his son's thoughts.

'Danm it' Legolas looked to the floor.

"And I'm really grateful I did. I know you were not going to betray Mirkwood, but I'm sure that you were going to do something foolish, were you not?" The prince could not answer that. "Legolas, look at me. Legolas." The prince looked at his father. "Go and have something to eat. I'll wait for you in my room."

The prince stared at the door for some minutes. He wasn't going to have lunch, he wasn't hungry. He could escape now, but he didn't have the map. He had not options but to go and talk with his father. He opened the door and walked toward his father's room.

"Legolas, wait" Elladan and Elrohir came beside his friend. "Legolas, we have to talk to you. We gave the letter to your father-"

Legolas stopped and looked at them "You did what? You… gave the letter to him!"

"Listen we-"

"You and your brilliant ideas!" the prince take a deep breath "Well, it's alright, he already knows. My father is waiting for me, I will leave you now."

"Legolas, wait-"

"Wait?! Wait for what? Time is running out for my friend. Do you have any idea of how bad I feel knowing that somebody is out there, suffering because of me? I had the opportunity to save him and it has been destroyed by those whom I believed my faithful friends. And you ask me to wait?"

"Please let me explain-"

"Elladan, do you really think that my father is going to let me go!?"

"Can I talk?!"

"I'm in a hurry. Maybe later." Legolas turned around and walked along the corridor. The twin looked at him for some moments.

"Leave it in his bed." Elladan said to his twin "He will discover it when he returns. I only hope that he will not say anything to his father by mistake."

….

Legolas entered into his father's room and he spoke before the king could say anything.

"If you're going to lecture me for planning to go, you can spare it. Neither a million of lectures will persuade me of doing other thing." Thranduil looked at him.

"Are you saying that you are going, even knowing that you don't know where the secret corridor is?"

"Yes, I mean exactly that." Thranduil looked at his son in bewilderment.

"Are you mad? They will kill you!"

"But I can't betray Mirkwood!"

"Of course you can't! You're not going. You _can't_ go."

"Ada, I have taken the decision." The twins entered at that moment.

"I hope you can get some sense into my son's reckless head." Said the king, talking now to Elladan and Elrohir.

"Legolas…" they said.

"Don't please! I will go, even if I have to escape from here!"

"But ion-nin-"

"I'M GOING! AND THAT'S FINAL!"

"Legolas, you cannot go. Can't you see it's a trap?" Thranduil said.

"And what am I supposed to do? Stay sitting idly knowing that he can be alive but still doing nothing to save him?" the prince was furious.

"It's only been three days since it happened. You're not recovered yet."

"And I never will if I do not go!" Everyone could see that the prince's eyes were filled with tears.

"Ion-nin, listen, I know it's hard, I know what you're going through and-"

"NO, YOU DO HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT I HAVE LIVED THESE DAYS. IF YOU KNEW YOU WOULD LET ME GO!" all was silent. "Damn it, ada. You don't understand." he looked at his father. "You _can't_ understand "he whispered. Then, Legolas turned and walked towards the door. Elladan grabbed his arm.

"No, Elladan, let me go" he looked into his eyes. "Please" he added.

"Where are you going?" asked the twin.

"To my room"

"Legolas ..."

"Let me go" After some seconds, he let him go. The prince left the room.

"Thranduil-" started Elladan.

"Don't worry, he is not going anywhere. I have ordered two guards to stay with him. They are waiting at his bedroom door …"

On the other side of the door, Legolas heard the conversation. 'My weapons are in my bedroom. I will have to enter by the window."

Before arriving to the corridor in which his room was, he peered through the window and looked for someone who could discover him. Seeing no one, he jumped and entered his room. There, he grabbed his bow and his knifes. 'Now I have to steal the map from my father's room. How? I've not idea' But before he jumped to the tree in front of his room, he saw something in his bed. A piece of paper. 'What's that?' he thought approaching to his bed. When he saw what it was, he couldn't believe it.

"The map". Realizing that he had said it aloud he prayed that the guards had not heard anything. 'Who has put it here?' suddenly he remembered that the twins had been trying to say him something. 'Thank you, mellon-nin' he smiled. Then he turned and jumped.

…

**Thank you for reading! Well… now that I've started the grade in a new high school I think I won't be able to update regularly. ****All depends on whether my new teachers like to assign homework or not! ( I hope it will be the second option)**

**Good? Horrible? Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: very short chapter!**

**Thank you to mjg43, your reviews can cheer a day up!**

**Chapter four**

The night had fallen over Mirkwood. Everyone was sleeping. Everyone but four elves. The first one, Thranduil, could not sleep.

'Maybe I shouldn't have let him go without some soldiers, I'm sure Elladan and Elrohir would had go with him if I had asked them. That stupid son of mine!... well, I think I would had done the same. But if he had only waited…' he was thinking.

…..

'I hope the young prince will be alright.' The second elf, Elrond, was thinking 'I cannot imagine how would Thranduil feel if he gets injured again or worst, if he dies… no, let's not think about that, I'm sure the elves that Thranduil has sent will find him soon. How strange that Elladan and Elrohir didn't go to look for him, I almost couldn't believe when they… oh Valar. Oh no!' the Lord of Imladris got up from his bed and walked toward his sons' rooms.

…

"Are you sure you've got all?" asked Elladan.

"For the Valar's sake, Elladan!-"

"Shut up, or someone will hear us and all our plans will be in vain"

"Sorry, you're right. Well, yes I've got everything. I've told it to you a thousand times."

"I know, well let's go or we'll never reach to him."

The twins closed the door with caution and walked in silence until they were in front of the main door. They opened it with extreme caution and went outside the palace. A fresh breeze welcomed them.

"I think he must be by the waterfalls. It is the best place to pass the night." said Elrohir.

"I think so. Let's go"

Elrond saw how two black figures entered the forest.

'Return safe, my sons, safe and with the prince' with that he turned around and went to his room, where he knew a sleepless night waited for him.

…..

Legolas looked to the stars once again. He was lying on a tree. He concentrated in hearing the sound of the water falling. It was such a delightful night! But every time he tried to sleep, the thought of his friend dying came to his mind. What if it was too late?

'He said a week. I've got time' he thought. The fatigue won the battle with his mind and, slowly, he fell asleep.

The sun was starting to show his rays when the prince startled and woke. He _could _swear that he had heard something. He paid attention. There it was. Again a sound came to his ears.

"It cannot be…" he whispered.

"But where is him!"

"I don't know! Maybe he is not here!"

Legolas couldn't believe. He would recognize that voices anywhere.

'What are those two doing here?' he thought, and stayed still.

"Legolas!" shouted Elladan.

"Don't shout! Orcs or spiders could hear us!" said Elrohir.

"Hey, you just shouted too. Besides I don't think there are orcs or spiders here"

"I was trying to… well it doesn't mind. Let's look for him _without_ shouting."

Legolas was not sure: he could jump from the tree and reunite with them, or he could go away and leave them discussing about spiders and orcs. The tree decided for him. Some leaves fell just on Elrohir's head.

"What… hey look who is there!" said the twin. Elladan looked to the tree. "Well, well! Hello, how are you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Fine, thank you. And you?" answered Legolas

"Fine, now that I've found you. Now, would you go down here?"

'I've no options left. Besides, they gave me the map, I own it to them' thought the prince as he came down.

"Always in the trees…" said Elladan "Do you know that the ground exists, elfling?"

"Yes, but I like trees… guys, I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry you didn't listen to us" Legolas nodded as Elrohir said that "no problem, don't worry, we know how you were feeling."

"Thank you." The twins smiled.

"Well, and now, where are we going?" said Elrohir.

….

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I've been very busy. By the way, I'm looking for a beta and I'm not sure if I will update until I find one.**

**Thank you for reading! **


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